HELP - What went wrong?

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 1:36 pm
tldr; I painted my dash the first time and it turned out great. Painted the second time and it came out matte. What was different?

(( 02 Chevy s10 blazer dash cover.))
So a few weeks ago while working on a project I dropped my dash cover and produced a few big cracks, a large piece fell out entirely. Assuming no biggie, I fiberglassed the backside of the dash to reinforce it and piece of back together. It didn't do anything about the cracks on the front though so I decided to paint it. I think for a 16 year old's first paint project, it turned out pretty well. Until I realized the dash wouldn't sit flush on the dashboard because of the fiberglass. In a frustrated move, it went from sandpaper to chiseling with a flathead. Don't be surprised when I say the dash broke again. So my father came downstairs, and told me about this wonderful thing called a "Dremel". 45 minutes later and I was back from home depot with my new toy. I quickly sanded all the fiberglass off and moved onto Permatexes "Plastic welder" which is very durable, and much less unwieldy. repeated the process I gained from "Customs spraymods" youtube channel which went about "scuff with 180 grit, grease remover, plastic primer, filler primer, wet sand with a abrasive pad (800 grit), grease remover, color, clear. I only made it to the color on my second try, as this time around my paint dried matte. I'm not entirely sure what caused it which is why I'm here. Around the corners of my dash, the paint varies; it gets shiny around the corners.

My thoughts so far are this:
1. Halfway through my second attempt my paint can ranout. I was spraying the clear stuff in there for a second or two. (Had to go run to autozone, maybe it's because I let the paint dry too long before I sprayed again?) Could the clear stuff have messed me up?
2. Too much/ too little a primer a thing? I am entirely new to paint so I have no idea.
3. I did not wetsand my primer on my first attempt. Could this have messed up my second attempt?

First Run - http://imgur.com/a/DAHXu
Second Run - http://imgur.com/a/OYnvQ

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 7:21 pm
Assuming aerosol cans...that stuff is very thin, it's easy to put on too heavy and and it skins over very quickly - I'm not surprised if the gloss died-back. You can get real automotive single-stage paint in a special activated aerosol can from your local autobody jobber. Not cheap, but at least it's real paint and should give you a much better result.

You have pretty deep sanding scratches from what I can see in the picture so you'll want to use a good build primer first, again check your local autobody jobber for that.



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:23 am
kyle23011 wrote: I only made it to the color on my second try, as this time around my paint dried matte.

First Run - http://imgur.com/a/DAHXu
Second Run - http://imgur.com/a/OYnvQ


are ya saying you didnt use clear the second time?

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:03 pm
tomsteve wrote:
are ya saying you didnt use clear the second time?


Yes, as I was on about my 3rd coat of color when it was noticeably reacting different than the first time. I didn't see the point in wasting clear when the color was obviously wrong :|

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:48 pm
Before I repaint it for the third time, I am thinking of sanding it all back down to the primer with 180/320 and possibly 400. I didn't realize how deep the marks I made with the sandpaper were. I went to ppg and bought some sem "High Build Primer Surfacer". Paint was incredibly expensive, so I think I'm sticking with my autozone color/clear ahaha. What would y'all recommend on my dry times? Last time I painted I did a coat every 10 minutes, except when I finished priming. When I finished priming I let it sit for ~30, then wet sanded, dried and colored. Did I not let it dry long enough? No tech sheets for autozone paint as far as I know, but the cans did give a drying time of 10 minutes.



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:50 am
kyle23011 wrote:
tomsteve wrote:
are ya saying you didnt use clear the second time?


Yes, as I was on about my 3rd coat of color when it was noticeably reacting different than the first time. I didn't see the point in wasting clear when the color was obviously wrong :|


if youre spraying a basecoat, basecoat doesnt get a gloss. the clear is what gives the gloss.
usually clear will change the shade/tone of the base once its applied.

what products are you using from AZ? we cant give advise until we know that.
i will say that on any primer-and body filler,too- i let it sit overnight.
i had a problem down the road with some work lookin like crap. mapping and wave.even though the products can say,"can be sanded in 30 minutes" that doesnt mean its fully dried or cured.
the product can still be drying/curing and shrinking.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:34 pm
tomsteve wrote:
kyle23011 wrote:
tomsteve wrote:
are ya saying you didnt use clear the second time?


Yes, as I was on about my 3rd coat of color when it was noticeably reacting different than the first time. I didn't see the point in wasting clear when the color was obviously wrong :|


if youre spraying a basecoat, basecoat doesnt get a gloss. the clear is what gives the gloss.
usually clear will change the shade/tone of the base once its applied.

what products are you using from AZ? we cant give advise until we know that.
i will say that on any primer-and body filler,too- i let it sit overnight.
i had a problem down the road with some work lookin like crap. mapping and wave.even though the products can say,"can be sanded in 30 minutes" that doesnt mean its fully dried or cured.
the product can still be drying/curing and shrinking.


Here's all the products I've been using, lined up in order.
IMG_1143.JPG
dash AZ

I think I'm going to replace the other two primers with this one.
IMG_1144.JPG
new prime

Overall plan now is to sand the dash down with 180,320, 400. Clean, prime. Let sit overnight, prime sand, color. Let it sit overnight, color sand( What grit should I use?) Then clear. Possibly clear sand just to be sure? I want to go heavy on the clear so I'll probably do at least 5-6 coats. I'll do all coats every 10 minutes or so.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:30 pm
I can't seem to fix these cracks -- any suggestions? I am just very close to giving up on them. I've been using JB's plastic welder on the front and rear, but I'm very limited. I can only "fill" the cracks on the top, so that I can have a smooth finish. I'm limited on the backside, as the dash won't fit if I have anything in excess. Every time I glue them back together, they just pull right back apart when I put it back on. Any advice? Thanks

Overview of whole dash. As you can see, there are several large cracks already filled and held firm. I am just struggling with a few reoccurring cracks.
IMG_1172.JPG
Dash cracks

One of the cracks with pressure on it to show flex.
IMG_1173.JPG
crack

Same crack without flex.
IMG_1174.JPG
crack2


Edit: Knowing what plastic this is may help. I don't know what I'm looking at, but I'm pretty sure this is what describes the plastic.
IMG_1182.JPG
dash plastic type

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:08 pm
Looks like you are dealing with ABS. Glues generally don't work to well on ABS especially larger parts like this that flex as you install them. I weld ABS with an airless iron. There are some specific glue kits for ABS as well. Go take a look at this repair flow chart at Polyvance.... https://www.polyvance.com/howtorepair.php
You are also fighting a pretty much uphill battle using most of those spray products. They are all simple 1k (almost all lacquer and simple enamels) products that are low in solids and offer little build. Even 6 coats of that clear doesn't even equal 1 coat of a medium solids 2k automotive clear. Guys do get decent results with cans all the time but dashes get to 150 degrees plus which just "cooks" most lacquer products, killing any longevity.
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!



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PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:30 am
now that i see your using spray bombs and lacquers, what darrell said.
i was assuming you were using a spray gun.
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